Horse-power eor driving machinery



nixrrnn srarns rx'rnnr orrrcn.v

ENOCH PIPER, 0F CAMDEN, MAINE.

HORSE-POWER FOR DRIVING MACHINERY.

Speccation of Letters Patent No. 1,629, dated June 10, 1840.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ENocH PIPER, of Camden, in the county of Waldo, State of Maine, have invented a new Improvement in the Method of Applying Horse-Power to the Driving of Machinery, which I call my Improved Horse-Power, and which I will describe as follows. V

My horsepower machine in its general structure is not dissimilar to many of those in common use. The horse employed in driving it is stationary within a curb or side railing that serves to keep him in place, and his action is applied by treading, to drive a band'or belt which passes around two drums from one of which the power obtained is communicated to any machinery intended to be moved. y

Figure I is the annexedl drawing shows a side elevation of the machine. A B, is one side of the curb, the other side being removed to show the belt, drum, trucks, &c. C D are the ends of the drums, D being elevated a little above the level of the other. They are partly hidden by the ways or bearing of the trucks. The edge of the belt Ais seen passing around the drums, and from one to the other, as at a a a a. It may be 10 inches or more in width according to the strength desired. Transversely on the belt the axles which subtend the trucks h 7) o b, are placed',vand attached to the belt by loop-screwbolts embracing the belt and passing up each side of it through the axles, and secured by nuts let int-o the axle. The square vpart of the axles are shown, by dotted lines,

through the trucks, as at c c c c c. The trucks roll on ways one side being shown at E E and underneath at F F. Z Z Z (Z show the ends of the cross pieces being attached transversely to the belt by loop-screwbolts embracing the belt and passing on each side of it through the cross pieces and the iooring planks ff f f The screw nuts should be sunk in the wood to prevent interference with the horses feet. The loop screwbolt is seen at e c' e e, Fig. 2, which is a section through the middle of the cross piece lengthwise.

The flooring plank should be of the width of the curb inside and of a convenient length from axle to axle so that their ends may swing clear in passing around the the middle to the cross pieces, their ends rise from their bearings in passing around the drums, as shown at g g.- As the cross pieces advance to the straight part of the track, the planks are brought to rest again on the axles.

The advantages of this arrangement are, lst, the flooring is more firm and has n0 canting or yielding as it moves along; whereas in the common machines, the flooring is divided up into narrow strips or bars placed across the track and are so unevenly supported as to be constantly vibrating and canting under the horses feet, which fatigues his limbs and greatly impairs his power of draft; 2d, it has the advantage of greater simplicity and cheapness of construction.; and n the machines in common use.

fm is a hand screw entering the slide n in which theaxle of the drum C has its bearing, by which the belt is made more or less taut at pleasure. When the stretching of the belt renders it necessary, the loop-screw bolts may be loosened and slipped along the belt, to adjust the axles and crosspieces to the length of the floor planks.

Now what I claim as my invention and improvement is- The mode of arranging and sustaining the floor planks by attaching. the middle of each to the belt midway between the axles of the trucks and bringing their ends to bear on the axles, yet with liberty to rise from the axles in passing around the drums, as set forth inthe foregoing description, and in any similar manner embracing analogous arrangements or principles of action.

ENOCI-I PIPER.

Witnesses:

I-I. W. PIPER, .Inssn PAGE.

greater facility with which itk may be repaired; 3d, its movement is sub-l ljected to less friction, than that of similar 

